Promise
by stephheika
Summary: He wonders why his life has to be like this.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass D: That's quite unfortunate, I know. **

**BTW, there's a bit of swearing in this, and if you're offended, I humbly apologize from the bottom of my heart. **

--

"_You bitch!"_

Lelouch covered Nunnally's ears as they hid in his bedroom. They were on his bed, sitting, and had a blanket over their heads. The lights were all off except for the table lamp next to them.

"Onii-sama…"

"Shh…Nunnally…shh…everything will be alright…"

Even a nine-year-old boy knew that everything was _not_ going to be alright, but what else could he say to his six-year-old sister, who was far too young to be facing such hardships?

"_Get away from me!"_

"Onii-sama…!" Nunnally whimpered she wrapped her arms around him. He lifted his hands off her ears, seeing it as futile, and instead stroked her thin hair in an effort to try and comfort her.

"Remember that these arguments always end?" Lelouch said, trying to sound nostalgic. "Everybody argues once in a while…"

Nunnally nodded as she leaned against Lelouch's chest. "Why do people argue?"

Lelouch thought for a moment. "That's because…everybody thinks differently. Everybody looks at things differently, and they don't like how other people see it."

"But, if everybody thought differently, and argued all the time about it, why do you and I get along?"

He kept silent, trying to find the words to say.

"That's because you and I are best friends! Maybe mom and dad weren't best friends, and they just liked each other, but they never got to know each other!"

For a young boy, those were some powerful words.

Nunnally turned to Lelouch. "Then, as best friends, promise me we will never, ever, leave each other! I think mommy and daddy will separate, but I don't want to separate from you, onii-sama!"

"But I'll have to get married! I don't want you tagging along in my new home!" Lelouch complained. Nunally giggled, her fears washed away.

"I never knew you wanted to get married, onii-sama!"

"Sh-shut up!" he said, embarrassed.

_Smash!_

The two siblings spun their heads towards the direction of the door. Lelouch lifted the blankets off his head, and Nunnally did the same. They were kneeling, their heads moving slowly forward…

"Charles! I-"

…and then there was a loud slap.

Nunnally buried herself under the covers again, shaking. Lelouch wanted to comfort the poor girl, but his mother…

Another loud slap.

Lelouch, without a second thought, opened the locked bedroom door and rushed to his mother's aid. Marianne, who just saw her son run out, looked horrified.

"Lelouch, no, get back inside!"

Nunnally, suddenly realizing what her older brother had just done, screamed as he was struck down by their father.

--

Lelouch vi Britannia threw up. He leaned against the bathroom sink and stared at himself in the mirror. He looked terrible, he knew, and he had to fix this look before he left for school the next morning. Perhaps he should call in sick tomorrow. He shook his head at that crazy idea as he turned the right handle of the faucet. He must be going insane, thinking about staying in this hole for a whole day. Ashford Academy was his only refuge in this hell, and he was not going to skip a day in heaven.

He splashed the cold water on his face. He felt the side of his face sting with pain. Reaching to touch the spot, he realized that his arm was bleeding.

Lelouch looked at the medicine cabinet and found some bandage. He started to sterilize the wound on his arm when he heard glass smashing on the floor. He instantly turned towards the door and was about to open it, when he heard more glass shatter. He closed an eye at the sharp sound.

It's been eight years since his mother and Nunnally left. No, they weren't dead. They just suddenly disappeared, without a word, and left Lelouch all alone with his father.

They left him alone.

"LELOUCH!"

He ignored it and continued wrapping his arm with the bandage.

Then, he heard footsteps going up the stairs. Loud, angry footsteps.

He closed his eyes.

"Oh shit…" he muttered as his father started banging on the door.

--

"Lamperouge, Nunnally."

Nunnally, a beautiful teenaged girl with her curly hair tied up into a high ponytail, stood from her chair and walked towards the office. Marianne, who was with her, stayed seated and put her thumb up. Nunnally returned the hand gesture as the door closed behind her.

She was taking an interview for the most prestigious school in the country, Ashford Academy. If all goes well and Nunnally is accepted, Marianne is willing to work as hard as she could to support her. Plus, if they think Nunnally is smart enough, they will give her a scholarship.

She folded her hands, closed her eyes, and bowed her head. She really wanted Nunnally to be able to go to this school – she knew it was her dream. She wanted to fulfil her child's dream.

Suddenly, the image of her nine-year-old popped into her head, and she opened her almost-wet eyes. That's right – Lelouch. What was his dream?

How was he doing?

Where is he now?

Her heart ached. Was it really a wise choice to let him stay with Charles?

--

"Hello, Miss Nunnally Lamperouge. My name is Miss Britton." Nunnally smiled as they shook hands. "Well, let's begin then, shall we?"

Nunnally nodded in agreement as she took a seat across the thin lady. She was looking at her report cards and teacher comments, and her lips seemed to curl up slightly. She placed the reports down, folded her arms, and leaned forward.

"Why do you want to come to Ashford Academy?"

Nunnally was silent for a while – she was thinking. There were many reasons, and she doubted that she had time to list them all.

"All those who have entered Ashford Academy came out as flourishing people who could pursue their dreams. Ashford Academy was like their stepping stone to success, and I believe that it would also be mine. You see, Miss Britton, I wanted to be a psychologist when I was young, and after I've seen what this school offers, I-"

"Miss Lamperouge," Miss Britton interrupted.

Nunnally stopped talking, and she felt afraid and embarrassed. Fortunately, the woman was smiling.

"I do not need to hear you flatter our school. Every applicant has commented greatly on this school, and I know how good this school is, having working here myself. And I can say this, Miss Lamperouge, with one look at your face, I knew that this school could do with another one like you – honest, gentle, a tidy appearance, the ideal Ashford Academy student."

Nunnally could hardly believe her ears.

"I see your grades are always above 90, and that already puts you on the top of the waiting list. Also, seeing that your average is 93, you can automatically apply for a scholarship."

"But, to apply for a scholarship for this school could only mean…"

Miss Britton stood up. "You know, I actually hate interviewing people and putting them on the waiting list when I can already see potential. Welcome to Ashford Academy, Miss Nunnally Lamperouge." She held out her hand. "We expect to see you here, in our uniform, in four months."

--

**DUNDUNDUN...kinda.  
harhar will the siblings reunite, or will the author be extremely annoying and have them never meet until chapter 34? **

**Oh yeah...Don't kill me. I, too, hate having to do so much **_**evil**_** to Lelouch. It pains me to see such a bishie suffer D: **

**Hmm…well how was it? Too boring, too long, too short…etc. **

**Mild flames, or constructive criticism, is welcome. In fact, just write the constructive criticisms and forget the flames.**

**Oh, and of course words of encouragement also helps a reader flourish, in my point of view.**

**And very importantly: should I have Lelouch go with anybody? As in love-relationshiply. I'm against yaoi and incest, so those are out of the question.**

**Thank you and wait for the next chapter, I guess. :)**


	2. Alone

**Lately, I've been quite busy, with Chemistry and Biology tests and labs due…**

**So without further ado, here's chapter two ******

**(It rhymes by the way!)**

**By the way, this chapter is a bit boring because I'm mostly introducing characters. **

**R/R!**

**--**

Lelouch walked slowly to the school, yawning and carrying his bag with his left hand and covering his mouth with his right. He was extremely tired. At 4:23 AM, his alarm clock rang for him to wake up and make breakfast and lunch for Charles. Charles left at 6:00 AM to work early, and Lelouch had no reason to sleep, so he just left the house and decided to walk slowly to school.

Lelouch tugged at his sleeves and pulled his collar up. He yawned again and rubbed his eyes.

It was 6:30, and school started at 7:15. It only takes twenty minutes to walk to school, and he was almost there. He decided to take the long way.

Walking in the park, he began to admire the cherry blossoms. The flowers were gently falling from the trees, and Lelouch stopped to stare at its magic. He let out a faint smile as he reached out his arm to catch the petals. It was going to be a new school year, and it was going to be his last year in Ashford Academy. He put his hand down and continued walking down the path. It was peaceful, and the sun just came out. Suddenly, his legs hurt – he was feeling tired from all that walking.

'_My stamina really sucks,'_ he thought to himself as he sat on a nearby bench facing a man-made lake. There were some people walking through the park now. Children were holding the hands of their parents, dogs were being walked by loving owners, athletes were jogging with each other listening to their iPods…

Lelouch felt lonely. Actually, he had never really felt 'lonely' – he had always remembered being alone.

He looked up at the blue sky and sighed. Although Ashford Academy was like his home, not many people went near him. That was because he didn't want them to get involved in his already confusing life, and often tried to avoid them. This made people think he was 'snobby', 'too good for everybody else', and 'show-off', as some might say. He didn't mind, as long as he was away from his hellhole.

However, he had a better home inside the home. He smiled at the thought of it. It was the music room in Ashford Academy. There was a grand piano there, and rarely anybody goes to use it because they would rather hang out with friends in the mall. The only occasion of students even going near the small music building was during class or after school if there was a musical competition of some sort.

It was Lelouch's haven. Almost always unlocked and soundproof, he was able to express his feelings there. He had a musical talent that nobody, except maybe himself, knew. But what role did his talents play anyway?

He got up and decided to go to school. There's nothing wrong with arriving early, and it's always wrong to arrive late.

--

The vice-principal Viletta stood staring out of the staff room window, holding a cup of hot tea. She was looking at the students that were beginning to file into the school grounds, and she smiled. It was another year with the same old annoying students, and hopefully, the new students wouldn't become like them.

She rubbed her belly as she sipped from her cup. She recently found out she was three months pregnant, and whether she liked it or not, she was going to get fat in the middle. She had laughed at that fact when Ougi teased her about it as the rest of her would stay nice and lean.

"Viletta!"

Ougi walked into the staff room, holding a small stack of papers. He handed them to his wife after placing a gentle kiss on her lips.

"It's the student council events calendar. They want you to give them the 'okay' for it."

Viletta leafed through the pages, amused. "Maid cafes, huh? A school festival, a singing competition…"

Ougi laughed. "I'm guessing the student council really wants to slack this year. There's at least one event every month."

Viletta continued looking through the pages. "Oh my goodness, what are these kids planning to do this year? Especially those seniors – their major exams are coming up!"

_Ding! Ding! Ding!_

It was 7:05 AM, and in ten minutes, class would officially begin. Teachers began gathering their attendance lists and rushed out of the staff room. Some teachers lagged behind as they didn't see the point of getting to the classrooms early.

Viletta put down the events calendar and picked up another sheet, reading "CLASS 3C". So Ougi was assigned to one of the senior classes…She smiled, wondering how Ougi would react to the wild seniors he would be teaching for the school year.

--

Nunnally sat in the second row, all alone, in class 1B. The classroom had three columns of three desks next to each other in one column, and there were four rows. The cloak room was at the back of the classroom next to the class library.

Some girls were in the back row, chatting and twirling their hair and gossiping. They had their skirts worn especially higher and were wearing make-up and glittery hair accessories. Some guys had their Nintendo DSes out and were battling each other in Taiko, with others gathered around those in war and cheering for whoever was winning. Two nerdy-looking people with semi-bowl cuts were reading magazines about ecology in their desks, two girls were sharing earphones and listening to the newest discovered song by the window, and three people, one girl and two boys, were drawing on the classroom chalkboard. They were wearing similar red and black wristbands with chains. They seemed like delinquents, but not quite there yet. The girl had black choppy hair tied up with a red and white checkered ribbon and was rather short. One of the boys also had black hair gelled up and his ears pierced. The second boy had bleached orange hair and extraordinary green eyes. He had a nose ring.

The classroom suddenly became quiet. Nunnally looked around to see what the matter was, and she noticed the teacher standing by the door. She had long green hair tied up with a black and white ribbon and was wearing a white short-sleeved ruffled shirt with a black scarf tied around her neck. The black skirt she was wearing was at least six inches above her kneecap, and she had on black high heels. Some guys were whispering about how hot she looked as she entered the classroom with her attendance list and binders in her hands. She looked at the three delinquents in the front.

"Please take a seat," she told them coolly. They nodded as they found their seats quickly. The rest of the class sat down, the guys stopped their gaming, the nerds stopped reading, and the girls stopped listening to their music and found their seats next to Nunnally. The woman in the front stood tall as she looked at her class. She turned around and lifted up a piece of chalk delicately.

"My name is Miss C. I don't feel like being called anything else other than that."

She faced the class after writing her name and the date on the board. The students were mesmerized for some reason. They felt as if school and stress had already begun, and the conversion from play to work took place too soon.

"Welcome to Ashford Academy. It's going to be a stressful three years." She smirked, as if reading their minds. They would've groaned if it wasn't for her sadistic expression.

--

Lelouch sat in the back nearest to the window, looking outside at the courtyard. His class was explosive. The students were chatting constantly, as if this would be their last day together. It may be their last year, but certainly not the last day.

"Rivalz, you're in this class!"

Shirley was in front of Lelouch, extremely happy when she saw the familiar blue-haired teen enter. She was standing next to Milly. Milly grinned and waved at Rivalz, and he blushed.

"I wonder if Suzaku is in this class," Milly wondered as Rivalz walked towards them.

"Probably, since the school tends to put best friends into the same class for the last year," Rivalz concluded.

And just as predicted, Kururugi Suzaku appeared at the door, his bag swung over one shoulder. Some girls in the room squealed – Suzaku was the ladies' man. He was holding a piece of paper.

"I was assigned to 3A, but they decided to move me to 3C for some unknown reason."

It seemed like a random decision on the school's part, but Shirley, Milly, and Rivalz were nonetheless thrilled.

Lelouch rolled his eyes. Kururugi Suzaku was the last person he wanted to be in the same classroom with. He had an ego the size of Mount Everest and it was just as difficult to get respect from him as it was to climb the damned mountain. But then again, it was his own fault that he avoided the rest of the class. If they got too friendly with him, they might ask to visit his home, to go out with them during summer vacation to popular spots like the pool, the beach, or anywhere else that would expose his love from Charles.

He coughed slightly. Suzaku noticed Lelouch for the first time and looked at the skinny teen with eyes of dislike. He didn't really like Lelouch that much, but he tried to be as gentleman as he could towards him. It _was_ the beginning of the year, and the last year they would be together in the same school, so why not get to know each other better?

"Lelouch vi Britannia," he said, attempting to smile. The atmosphere tensed a bit, and Shirley, Milly, and Rivalz looked nervously at Suzaku. "How was your summer?"

Lelouch glanced at Suzaku, ignored him, and turned away to look outside again.

"Oy!"

Lelouch looked at Suzaku, his eyes displaying no emotion while Suzaku's were burning.

"You won't even answer such a simple question?"

"It was horrible," Lelouch answered briskly. "Now leave me alone." He turned to look away again.

Suzaku wasn't going to give up. "My summer was-"

"I don't care; I never asked," Lelouch replied apathetically.

Suzaku slammed Lelouch's desk. Shirley and Milly winced, and Rivalz just watched the scene.

"I was just trying to be nice and start a conversation with you!"

"I never wanted to talk to you, Kururugi."

"It's polite to listen and respond to the one talking to you!"

"I'm impolite, and why the hell are you talking to me in the first place?"

Suzaku sat down next to Lelouch, and Lelouch scooted his chair closer to the window. Shirley, Milly, and Rivalz sat in front of them, watching the two.

There was a short silence.

"I think we started off in the wrong foot," Suzaku spoke, trying to calm down.

"Let's keep it that way."

Suzaku glared and stood up. "Alright. You're right. Fine. I tried, and everybody knows I did. I just can't get through the thick-skulled Lelouch vi Britannia."

"Finally, you realize the impossible."

Suzaku was going to retort, but Ougi stepped in and coughed loudly.

"Sit down!"

The students scattered like ants and sat down. Suzaku, looking awkward being the only one standing up, sat down again. Ougi had this aura of superiority; he could say two words and people would obey him (that is, if he looked serious about it). He walked to the front of the class and put his binders and books on the desk. "Since you are all seniors, let's be friends. Call me Ougi, and not Mr. Ougi, or whatever other ones you call teachers. Teacher Ougi? Hm…"

He was reciting a monologue.

"Perhaps, Ougi-sama sounds good…"

The class playfully booed, and Ougi winked. He picked up a book and looked around the class.

"I'm taking attendance, guys!"

Suzaku turned to look at Lelouch, annoyed. Why did he think he was so high and mighty all the time that nobody deserves to talk to him?

Unfortunately, Suzaku's paradigm was inaccurate and incomplete. It was understandable, however, since on the first day of school, Lelouch ignored him and everybody else, giving everybody the idea that he was prideful and full of himself.

Don't judge people too quickly.

That was Suzaku's mistake.

"Still pretending to ignore me, little prince?" he mocked. "Are you too good for the rest of us?"

Silence. Then a "Here."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"He just called my name. Pay attention, Kururugi. He'll call yours soon."

Suzaku wanted to hit that son-of-a-bitch. Really bad.

"Kururugi, Suzaku."

"Here!" he yelled, some anger seeping out with the word. He decided not to talk to Lelouch for the time being. That bastard always made him so pissed…

--

It was finally lunch and the students were eating in the classrooms. Milly had made a lot of food for her group of friends. There were omelettes, fried rice, meatballs, teriyaki chicken…

"Wow, Milly, this looks awesome!" Rivalz commented, his mouth watering.

Shirley nodded, agreeing. "You're amazing, Milly! I mean, I only made sandwiches…"

Rivalz sighed. "I know! I have some fried rice, but they can't compare to yours!"

Suzaku laughed as he pulled up a chair to sit with his friends. "We should pay you, Milly, and you could make our lunches for the whole year."

Milly blushed. "Oh, come on you guys…"

Lelouch got up from his seat, took his bag, and walked to the classroom door. Suzaku turned around to see where he was going. He knew he should invite Lelouch to eat with them. He tried to talk to him, but it just didn't work out. Being friends with a snob is impossible.

Lelouch exited the classroom, and Milly sighed. "I can't believe we're in his class again."

The gang nodded as they helped themselves to food.

"I mean, he thinks he's so great…" Shirley mumbled as she stuffed a meatball in her mouth. She chewed for a while. "He's so annoying…"

"I know! He's not like nagging-annoying, but more like 'I'm better than you' annoying," Milly said.

Suzaku snorted. Rivalz laughed. "It's so true," he said as he covered his mouth to prevent his rice from flying all over the place.

--

Nunnally felt out of place with all her classmates eating such delectable foods that she wouldn't buy with her allowance. Even the school cafeteria was quite expensive, although the portions were very reasonable.

She walked out of the classroom and wandered in the school, carrying her bag with her. She found herself in front of the staircase, and decided to go up onto the roof to eat. Many Ashford students prefer eating in the classroom or in the gardens, and very few eat up there. She knew that because the hallway leading to the roof was almost empty.

She climbed up the stairs, wondering how school would be like.

--

Lelouch entered the empty bathroom and leaned against the sink. He felt nauseas somehow. He covered his mouth as he took a few deep breaths. He didn't feel like eating anymore.

He lifted his hand off of his mouth and sighed. Just a couple more months…

He smiled grimly as he headed out of the bathroom. He needed some fresh air. Since he was on the third floor, he decided to go up to the rooftop. Who would be stupid enough to go for fresh air on busy ground floor when the roof was empty and only two floors up?

--

**End of Chapter 2!**

**Sorry if it was boring, but I just wanted to show the friendly exchanges between Lelouch and Suzaku.**

**Oh yeah, I also don't want to call C.C. … C.C. So if there are any complaints about my changing of her name in the future, please do tell me. If you think it's fine, that's great, because C.C. isn't really a human name.**

**Thanks for reading guys!**


	3. Encounters

**A/N: I have decided on the direction of the story! If you have any requests, I **_**may**_** consider them…or not. Sorry (: **

---

Lelouch exited the bathroom in a daze. He felt dizzy and nauseas. Perhaps he was coming down with something…it was the season to get sick soon, and his immune system was not the best in the world. He didn't even feel like going up the stairs anymore. He rubbed his temples as he closed his eyes and walked slowly. He couldn't afford being sick – he would have to stay at home if that was the case. He leaned against the wall to stop his world from literally spinning.

"Oy, you."

Lelouch knew that whoever was talking, the voice was talking to him. It was an obnoxious-sounding voice, like one from a junior high student's, but yet one with great authority. He opened his eyes and turned around to face a young lady with green hair. She was tapping her shoulder with a rolled-up confiscated magazine – Lelouch could make out the word 'PLAYBOY' – and was walking towards him.

"Are you alright?" she asked, her golden eyes showing concern.

He kept silent.

"Maybe you have low blood pressure."

"Maybe."

"Or possibly you have the flu."

Hmm…"

She smiled at his taciturn nature.

"You should get some rest in the nurse's office. You don't look too well."

"I'll think about it."

"Have you eaten your lunch yet?

"No."

"Maybe that's why. Sometimes, you feel nauseas if you don't eat."

"Hmm…"

"Are you always this taciturn?"

"Perhaps."

She sighed as she reached into her pocket and pulled out small pad of paper. It was the "absentee paper", which allowed one to be excused from class if they didn't feel well in school. All the student had to do was hand that to the front desk by the school entrance and they could go home.

"Hold this," she said as she handed the magazine to Lelouch. Lelouch held onto it and grimaced. It _was_ Playboy. There was a half-naked woman on the front cover holding handcuffs. He looked away from the hideous cover.

She noticed his expression and smiled. At least there were decent schoolboys out there.

"Name?" she asked.

"Lelouch vi Britannia."

"Hmm…" she muttered as she scribbled his name down. "A senior, am I right?"

"Yes."

She ripped the paper off and handed it to him as he gratefully accepted it and handed over the dirty magazine.

She smiled as she took it back. "I know it's the first day of school, Lelouch, but rest is very important."

"I guess."

"I trust that you'll go home after you leave?"

Lelouch looked away. Would he actually go home? He wasn't sure himself. Maybe he would, since Charles wasn't going to be there until 7:00 PM, but he hated to see his home. It always brought back painful memories…

"Yeah, I'll be home," he answered looking back, unsure of whether he was lying or not.

---

'_I guess I lied…'_ he thought as he found himself walking along the streets. Oak Street. There were many booths and boutiques lining the sidewalk, and the smell of maple syrup and strawberries was in the air. He smiled at the nostalgic surroundings. He had just moved to this area a few years ago due to Charles' work, but he remembered coming here with Marianne and Nunnally after school when he was younger. Marianne would buy them ice cream and Nunnally would always order green tea flavour. Lelouch always had a tough time choosing his ice cream, so Marianne chose for him almost all the time.

He walked towards the ice cream shop. It still looked the same – the long list of flavours written on the wooden board that was hanging behind the counter, the colourful walls with pictures of ice cream, the tiled floors…

He was reading the flavours. He stopped at the green tea flavour, and he looked at the price. It was 20% higher than when he had come with Marianne and Nunnally. He laughed inwardly, pitying himself. Since when was he the type to think about the past and not the future?

The shop was empty, and a worker was ducked behind the counter getting more cups to put the ice cream in. Lelouch knew that in an hour, it would be filled with children and parents.

He walked away, just as the worker got up and put the pile of cups on the counter.

---

It was nostalgic. Marianne sighed as she leaned against the counter, fiddling with a lose thread from her sleeve. The store was empty, but, like always, it would be filled with students and adults soon. She laughed as she remembered the times she had brought Lelouch and Nunnally to this area of town. The old-fashioned streets were comforting to anybody who walked on it, and the shops around it were frequently visited by even big-name celebrities.

She sighed at the boredom of her job. Her colleague would be coming soon to help out with business; but as of now, she was alone. Not knowing what to do, she decided to restock.

The ice cream store had brought back many happy memories, but she couldn't help but stop and think about where her precious son was. She remembered having to help him choose his ice cream flavour almost all the time. She crouched down to get the cups that were in the drawer under the counter. The plastic bag that stored the cups rustled in the silence, and the silence felt extremely lonely.

She took the cups in her hand and stood up just as she heard somebody walk away. Somebody was inside the store? She got up and caught a glimpse of an Ashford student with black hair. He had turned away, but Marianne had seen his face, and she gasped. It was strangely familiar, and strangely right.

Lelouch was around this age now, wasn't he?

She would have gone out after him, shouted his name to see if it really was Lelouch, screamed to catch his attention, but she couldn't. That was because at that moment, a customer walked in, and she was the alone. She glanced at the customer and then quickly looked back at the spot where the student was.

He was gone.

But Marianne was sure.

---

Lelouch found his situation extremely troublesome. He had to ride the train back home.

Oak Street was a short way from school, but that made it a long way to get home. He could ride the train to school from home as well, but a penny saved is a penny earned. Even though he was rich, Charles insisted on giving him allowance. That was because he wanted all the money. Greedy pig.

He groaned as he walked into a nearby grocery store, thinking about what to eat for dinner. It was always a headache for him to think about it.

He smiled, amused at how today had reminded him how indecisive he was. First the 'should-I-go-home' dilemma, then the ice cream flavour memories, and now the dinner…

He walked around the meat section, the vegetable section, the fruit section…and paused. He glanced at his half full basket and realized that he couldn't afford the fillet if he got fruits. He tried to remember what fruits were inside the fruit basket, but his memory failed him. He stood there for two minutes and decided to get some fruits and buy one serving of fillet. He wasn't even hungry, and he just realized he didn't eat lunch yet.

"Thank you for visiting! Have a great day!" the cashier said as she handed Lelouch his plastic bags of goods. He thanked the lady, took the bags, and walked towards the train station that was nearby.

Lelouch took out some coins and went over to the ticket machine. He selected the student status button and got his ticket. His hand was turning red due to the groceries, so he walked faster to insert his ticket. That way, he could balance out the weight of the groceries.

The train rolled around the corner as Lelouch arrived at the platform. It stopped and the doors opened. He entered and leaned against the pole beside the door. The seats were all occupied, much to his dislike. He was tired and the groceries were heavy.

"Please stand back from the doors…" the automated message played. The doors slowly closed, and Lelouch turned his head and looked out the window. His eyes caught sight of something golden brown and silk-like, and he smiled to himself. It reminded him of Nunnally.

How was she doing now?

---

"Aw gee!" Nunnally panted as she caught her breath. She just missed the train, and had to wait another five minutes for the next one. She looked at the time. Marianne would be home soon, and Nunnally wanted to cook a nice dinner for the two of them.

She sighed as she stood patiently waiting for the next train.

School was quite fun that day. The teachers were knowledgeable, her homeroom teacher was well liked, her classmates, although weird and different from each other, were all cooperative and rational, and their homework load was reasonable. It was quite possible that the first thing Ashford Academy looked for was not a person's academics, but their level of EQ.

"Yo, Nunnally."

Nunnally turned to the direction of the voice.

It was Kei Heart, a girl from her class. She was the one who hung out with the delinquent guys. Her dark bangs almost covered her left eye, and she had multiple earrings. She was holding her briefcase over her shoulders, and she looked like a model for modern visual kei style, if you get the pun.

"Kei?"

Kei grinned as she walked towards the shy Nunnally.

"I'm glad you remembered my name! So, where do you live, Nunnally?"

"I…uh…" she was shocked at Kei's openness.

"I'm not going to stalk you, but I'll find out sooner or later since we're on the same train."

Nunnally flushed, embarrassed. "Balcherist Station."

Kei's eyes brightened. "Far out, Nally. I do too!"

'_Nally?'_

Kei put her thumb up. "That's awesome! You know what; I really need to introduce you to some of my guy friends tomorrow. See, this guy, Shou, the one with orange hair…yeah, he's real awesome. He lives in Balcherist too, right by my place. Ren lives in Seratol, so that kind of sucks. He's moving soon, though."

"Ren? Seratol?" Those words made no sense to Nunnally.

"Yeah. Ren's the hot dude that's always with Shou. You know, the cool-looking one that doesn't really talk… He lives three stations away from Balcherist, but he's always begging his mother to move to Balcherist, where the rest of the gang lives. So yeah, he's moving soon."

Nunnally was amazed. She had just started talking to this girl, Kei, for three minutes, and she was already telling her so much. She was also amazed that this guy called Ren could move his entire family just because he wanted to be living closer to his friends.

Kei smiled. "You should come over to my place sometime. Our gang wants to start a mini band, just for fun, not for debuting purposes, and we could do with some good vocals. Can you sing?"

Nunnally nodded. She's not sure if she was good, but Marianne had always thought she had a talent for it.

Kei looked up at the sky. "My mother always told me I needed female friends…" she smiled and looked at Nunnally. "I just couldn't find anybody trustworthy enough. I always think that guys are more trustworthy than girls. I have a knack to detect trustworthy people. That's a compliment, by the way."

"Ah…" Nunnally blushed. Kei looked worried for a moment.

"You don't mind me talking like this, do you?" she asked.

"Of course not!"

"I trust your word," Kei grinned. "Nally, people think I'm annoying, so if I-"

"You're not annoying, Kei."

Kei stared at Nunnally. Nunnally continued.

"I'm always so quiet, and I feel strange around quiet people. I felt that I needed energetic friends, but everybody felt awkward around me because I rarely talk…" she stopped, realizing that she, too, was opening up to a 'stranger'.

Kei laughed. "You're so cute, Nally."

Even though Kei seemed to be like a delinquent, a trouble-making teen, a student that doesn't care about anything, Nunnally felt that she was actually mature. She acted immature, but the meaning she conveys behind her words and the way she presents herself with confidence made Nunnally like her more and more with every word she spoke. It was just a five minute encounter, and Kei had already made Nunnally a more self-assured person than she had ever been in these few years.

The train arrived, and the two girls stepped inside, still talking like old friends.

---

**Sorry for the long, long period of non-updatedness (not a real word). I was really tired and slept until dinnertime for the whole week, meaning I had to finish homework after dinner before I could write my fanfiction, and that only gave me a couple of minutes each day before I felt lethargic and fell asleep again. Thank goodness for Friday nights and Saturdays, eh?**

**The ending was kind of rushed, so sorry for any grammar mistakes. **

**Okay, it might seem as if the Nunnally/Kei thing at the end was kind of random, but you'll see the role that this friendship plays later, hopefully, unless I change the direction of the story for the 193829324****th**** time.**

**C.C.'s name is still a mystery. I have a name for her, but I decided not to put it in yet. It's not the right time. Wait for it. The suspense. It's actually nothing special, but still. What could it be? ETC on suspenseful sentences.**

**Thanks for reading! **


	4. Reason

**R/R!**

---

"Ah, damnit…" Lelouch swore as he dropped the spatula. The fire was on high, and he was rushing to set it back to low. The kitchen felt extremely hot and steamy, and he felt as if he was in a sauna.

He pulled out the drawer for a spoon while he lifted the lid off from his pot. He stirred the contents as he reached over to the spice rack to grab some basil.

The smell was irresistible. Lelouch's mouth watered. He felt hungry _now_.

He shook his head as he stirred his tomato sauce. It was no ordinary tomato sauce – it was the Lelouch-tomato-sauce-that-Charles-loved tomato sauce. How he ever found the right ingredients for it, he could never remember.

The rice cooker beeped at him, and Lelouch automatically looked at the clock. It was 6:30, meaning Charles would probably be home in half an hour or so. Since today was a Monday, he usually goes home early. Usually.

Lelouch turned off the stove and walked towards the living room to vacuum the carpets.

---

"I'm home!"

Nunnally walked out of the kitchen, her pink frilly apron still on, and smiled. "Welcome home, mom!"

Marianne smiled as she took off her shoes. She paused for a moment and grinned.

"I smell something good!" she exclaimed as she rushed into the kitchen, Nunnally behind her. Marianne bent over and lifted the lid off from the pot.

"Curry!" she squealed. "Is that fried pork? Oh, Nunnally! Green salad too!"

Nunnally beamed. "The curry was on special, and I thought that we haven't had it in a while."

"I love curry!"

"I know."

They smiled at each other.

"Let's talk more during dinner," Marianne suggested as she walked out of the kitchen. "I'm going to take a shower first, okay?"

"Okay."

Nunnally stirred the contents in the pot and smiled serenely. School was alright, everybody was cooperative, but the time after school felt even better.

She thought of her new energetic friend that she had just met and grinned. She had a feeling that Kei was going to change her shy personality, but she didn't mind at all. There were advantages to being confident and open.

---

"I'm home."

"Welcome home."

There was a silence as Charles entered through the door and Lelouch rushed to close it. He arranged the shoes and followed behind his father.

He seemed really moody.

And men don't even PMS.

Lelouch kept silent as Charles walked into the kitchen.

"This again?" Charles grumbled as he saw the dish on the table. "I had this three weeks ago."

He sat down. "I fucking hate my job," he grumbled.

It would have been funny if it wasn't Charles saying it.

---

"School was fun. The class was really mature, not like my old school. Our homeroom teacher is really pretty."

"Like a model?"

"Yeah."

"Is she nice?"

"Yes."

"Is she smart?"

"I should think so. She's our biology and math teacher, but all we got was the course outline today."

"Hmm…" Marianne bit her spoon as she watched her daughter eat. "I'm not biased or anything, but most pretty ladies concentrate on their looks rather than their studies and work."

Nunnally giggled. "No, mom, she was just pretty. She didn't really dress up or put on makeup or anything."

"That's good then."

'_Typical mothers,'_ Nunnally thought as she smiled. Marianne looked like she was enjoying the food.

"So how was work?" Nunnally asked.

"It was great, but not as great as this curry!" Marianne complimented.

"How great?"

"It brought back many nostalgic memories…" she stopped as she remembered Lelouch. She gasped quietly. The boy she saw today…

She looked at Nunnally, who had her spoon midair. "Do you remember how Lelouch looks like?"

"Yes…" Nunnally muttered. "Yes, I do."

The atmosphere changed.

"Have you seen someone like him in Ashford?"

Nunnally's eyes were wide open. "He's in Ashford?"

Marianne shrugged and smiled. "I saw a student today who looked like him, but I wasn't sure…" Actually, she was quite sure, but she didn't want to go into details. "Can you check for me? For us?"

Nunnally nodded, willingly. Then, she asked _the_ question.

"But why didn't we take him with us?" Nunnally asked.

Marianne sighed. It was the unavoidable question.

"It's complicated, yet it's not." She was trying to avoid the question again.

"Mom…"

"Your father had the power…oh, it's too complicated to say…" It wasn't really that complicated if put into words, but if thought about…

"Why?"

Nunnally didn't remember much good from her father. She only remembered he always came home late and liked to hit things.

Marianne kept silent. The curry was still untouched.

"I'm old enough to understand complicated things!" Nunnally exclaimed.

Marianne sighed. "You're right."

Nunnally put her spoon down. Marianne began to speak.

"Your father, Charles, has a reputation to keep. If the media found out that he was…well…abusive, then it wouldn't be too good for him. It also wouldn't be too good for us, because he had money to pay the fines charged against him, and he would surely come after all of us. So I just divorced him, because it was popular for well-known men to divorce anyway."

"So are you saying that you sacrificed a child to save another?"

"No, of course not! In court, I tried to claim both of you, but at the time, I had no working experience, meaning I had no money, and Charles was extremely cunning. He said he wanted his children, and he had the ability to raise you. I think he just wanted to see me suffer, like he always did. He was going to win the case without a doubt if I didn't say that a daughter needed a mother's guidance more than a father's. Charles then said he wouldn't mind giving you to me because he could still have Lelouch. He knew that even though I had one of my precious children, I couldn't be full without knowing what would happen to the other. I couldn't take Lelouch then, and before I could tell him goodbye, we were kicked out of the house."

"Are you sure that's not just a paradigm?"

"Nunnally?"

Nunnally smiled softly. "It was possible that dad really loved us, and because he was so mean to you sometimes that you always thought he always hated us. It may not actually be the case – maybe he just had issues or something…I don't know what I'm saying anymore."

"I think I understand, but Charles isn't the type of person. He changed after he gained power."

The air felt uncomfortable, and Nunnally laughed out loud.

"Mom, we've talked for too long! The curry is getting cold!"

Marianne stared at her curry and laughed as well. "You're right, Nunnally, let's eat!"

"I'll look for Lelouch tomorrow, so don't worry! If he's in Ashford, that means he's been raised up well, right?"

There was logic to that. "You're right, Nunnally."

Nunnally smiled. "Of course I am."

"Look who's getting cocky…"

"I'm not cocky!"

The atmosphere changed back to normal, but deep inside, both of them were still thinking about their split family.

---

"Oy, I'm thirsty. Where's the beer?"

Charles sat lazily on the armchair as Lelouch was cleaning the dishes inside the kitchen.

"We ran out," he said as he wiped the plates.

There was a silence. The armchair creaked as Charles got off.

"No."

Lelouch froze in his position as Charles entered the kitchen to open the fridge. He felt his father grin triumphantly as he pressed the cold bottle against Lelouch's cheek.

"You liar."

Now, Lelouch honestly didn't think there was beer in the fridge, but apparently, there was, and he was being accused.

"I didn't know."

Should he fear a sober father or a drunk father?

"You didn't know?"

Lelouch carefully placed the dry plate down on the counter. He didn't turn around. Charles stayed standing there behind him as he withdrew the bottle.

"I didn't," Lelouch answered.

"Sorry? You didn't what?"

"I didn't know-"

In a split second, Lelouch heard the smashing of a beer bottle. He felt a stinging pain as blood ran down his head. He staggered, realizing that he had been hit.

Charles threw what was left of the bottle onto the floor. He went to the fridge to get another bottle and walked off. Lelouch touched the side of his head and felt the sticky liquid slowly run down his cheek.

---

**Sorry for the late update! I went to Okinawa! BD More about that in my blog, which could be accessed in my homepage/profile. **

**I think this chapter is a bit shorter than the other ones, but I'm super busy, so that's my excuse. I shall update more once my schoolwork is complete.**

**Thanks for all the reviews, guys. I would love to reply to them, but my inbox is always filled with fanfiction notices, facebook notices, and the likes. I will try my best to reply to all of you soon!**

**Please continue reading! **


	5. Finally?

**SORRY FOR THE WAIT…**

**It's finally Christmas break, which is GOOD! Less homework (exams……..) and more updating…hopefully. **

**Annndd…I had NO internet!! So…sorry for the extra delay ^^;;**

**Here's chapter 5!**

**R/R (:**

**---**

_Where was Lelouch?_

Suzaku looked at the empty seat beside him. Sure, he was glad that Lelouch wasn't there to rain on his parade, but he felt guilty for taking pleasure of his absence.

Mr. Ougi just droned on about nothing in front of the class, scribbling meaningless numbers and letters, and Suzaku sighed softly. He didn't understand why they had to learn about functions. How was that going to help him in the future? Well, it would, since he needed to pass the course in order to pass high school.

"This is the power of an asymptote!" Mr. Ougi boomed as he noticed that over half of his class was not listening. Some people woke up in surprise, and Ougi smirked as he turned around to face the chalkboard again.

"Pay attention, you punks. This is getting exciting."

His voice changed into the boring teacher voice automatically as he lifted the chalk. "The algebraic solution of radical equations…"

An instant thump could be heard from Rivalz as he fell asleep on his desk routinely.

---

Suzaku moaned as he sat in front of his homework that was spread out on his desk. Most of it was math –

"Complete the review questions 1-20, and we'll have a test on functions tomorrow! This will separate the class from the men and the boys; or whatever that saying was!"

"That's sexist!"

"You can be a man too, Milly, as long as you believe in the power of extraneous solutions!"

– and he was doomed. If only he had listened in class more. It wasn't his fault that Ougi was a fun guy, but a boring teacher.

Oh right.

He flipped open his cell phone. Ougi had told him to tell Lelouch about the test.

He groaned at the idea of having to call him.

Why did he even have his contact number?

Oh right, it was because they had to complete a project before in the first year of high school, and Lelouch was a great partner; he was just really unsociable.

The phone was connecting, and Suzaku flipped open his textbook. As he read the first question, someone picked up.

"Hello?"

Suzaku cleared his throat. "Lelouch?"

"Hm…"

He rolled his eyes. "It's Suzaku."

"…"

"Ougi says to do page 150, questions 1-20, and there's going to be a test on functions tomorrow."

He tapped his fingers and waited for a reply.

"Okay," was the response after five seconds of silence.

"Yeah, b-" Suzaku said quickly, not wanting to waste precious time.

Lelouch had hung up as soon as he had heard Suzaku pronounce the "b", and Suzaku rolled his eyes again.

---

Lelouch placed his cell phone on his desk. He glanced at the wall clock in his bedroom. It was close to five, and since he didn't go to school today, he had already made dinner and cleaned the house. Not attending school gives him a sense of accomplishment for some reason.

He looked at the math textbook on the floor next to his bed, and sighed. He bent down to pick it up. His phone rang again. He staggered as he got back up and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"It's me…"

Charles.

"I'll be back late tonight. There's no need to make dinner for me…"

_Damn it. I already made it!_

"Don't laze around the house..."

_I'm not._

"Make yourself useful and do something…"

_Like what?_

Lelouch waited for his father to continue speaking, but he stopped. That was his cue to reply.

"I will," he answered.

"Right. Goodbye."

"Bye."

The line disconnected, and Lelouch threw his cell phone onto his bed. Fucking bastard. He sighed as he went over to his desk to start his homework.

_What a pain,_ he thought as he clicked his pencil several times until the lead came out to the length he had wanted it to.

The phone rang again, and Lelouch frustratingly spun around in his swivel chair. What was with these endless calls today?

"KURURUGI" was calling.

He picked up his phone.

"Hello?" he answered, annoyed.

---

Suzaku made a face at the sound of Lelouch's voice.

"We have PE tomorrow. Conditioning."

---

Lelouch grimaced. He had the lowest stamina in the world.

"Okay."

He hung up.

---

Suzaku held the phone away from his ear as soon as he heard the _beep_ of disconnection.

"What the hell!" he grumbled. "At least I bothered to remind you…"

---

It was near twelve, and Charles still wasn't home. Lelouch went to the bathroom to check on his scar on his temple. He was lucky that it wasn't a deep cut, and it was hardly noticeable if he kept his hair covering it and probably put on some makeup to cover it…he felt like a girl.

If Charles wasn't home in half an hour, Lelouch was going to sleep. He wasn't going to wait up for him anymore just to open the door. Charles could do it himself.

He walked out of the bathroom, went downstairs to turn on the hall light, and went back into his bedroom.

Even though Lelouch told himself he would sleep in half an hour, he didn't. He didn't know what the consequences were. If Charles was drunk, he wouldn't mind letting himself in – he was probably somewhere in Happyland. If he was sober but angry about something, he would expect Lelouch to serve him until he slept.

_I can't wait until _I_ am the father,_ Lelouch thought to himself as he sat on his chair in his bedroom looking out of the window. He had the view of the neighbourhood, and he could see the driveway and the gates of his home.

He put his chin on the windowsill as his eyelids began to drop…His arms automatically became his cushions as his head dropped to the side and he fell into a peaceful slumber.

---

It was the rays of sunlight that woke Lelouch up. He was startled at the time, twenty minutes until school started, and rushed to Charles' bedroom.

Nobody was there.

He ran downstairs to the living room.

Nobody was there.

Did that mean Charles never got home?

Lelouch ran back into his bedroom to pack his bag. Opening the wardrobe, he took his folded PE clothes with disgust. He looked on his bed, where his cell phone lay. He didn't miss any calls from Charles…

He shrugged the matter off his shoulders as he ran down the stairs and grabbed an apple from the fruit basket. In his rush, he had almost forgotten to lock the door behind him. He fumbled with the keys as he tried to find the right one. He grumbled as he stuffed the apple into his bag so he could use both of his hands.

Finally locking the door, he ran out of his gate to the train station, holding his bag over his shoulder.

---

"Nunnally! You're going to be late!" Marianne called as she tied the bow to her daughter's lunch box. She turned around to finish cooking her own omelette rice. She wiped sweat off her brow as Nunnally entered the kitchen.

"Thank you, mommy!" she exclaimed as she grabbed the lunch. "Bye!"

Nunnally ran to the door, quickly slipped on her shoes, and exited the house just as Marianne cried out, "Wait, your breakfast!!"

Looking at the buttered toast on the table, she sighed as she took a bite. "That girl…" she murmured, smiling.

---

"I'm going to be so late," Nunnally muttered as she ran to the train station.

"NALLY!!"

In front of the girl was Kei, waving to her, stress free. She looked as if she wouldn't be late at all, her ponytail tied up to one side with multiple colourful clips on her bangs. The fact that she was standing there made Nunnally frustrated.

"Run, Kei!"

"Why?" the girl asked, puzzled as Nunnally ran past her and grabbed her wrist.

"We're going to be late!"

"All the reason to go slowly…"

"But leave the impression that you try not to be late, Kei!"

"Nah… that just shows them you're not good with time management. Just tell them something came up and you had to go to school later."

"I can't lie!"

"I can!"

The girls entered the station and stood in a growing crowd of people that were trying to be the first ones into the train.

"Don't rush into the train, Nally," Kei said coolly. "Here's your excuse: you were pushed out of the train due to the immense-"

"-But that didn't happen yesterday!"

"Everyday is different! Say that they probably all overslept, like us."

"What …?"

Kei laughed as the train arrived. "Well, there is a slight-"

She stopped abruptly just as the train slowed to a stop.

Nunnally turned to her friend. "Kei?"

Kei had turned bright red as she hid her face behind her hands.

"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness…get in, Nally!" She dragged Nunnally with her into the train.

"Get in?! You just said-!"

"Oh, no, no, don't get in!" She pulled her out.

"What are you doing?"

The crowd seemed a bit frustrated at the two girls' actions.

"Wait…get in!"

"Kei! Why are we-"

She pulled Nunnally in just as the train doors closed. She sighed as they turned to face the doors.

The huge crowd of people somehow managed to fit inside. Kei seemed to be looking away from Nunnally, and constantly turning to face the door again.

"Kei?"

She flushed. "It's sempai…"

"Huh?"

"He's our sempai…"

"Do you like him?" Nunnally teased, never actually having a girl friend telling her about crushes. Kei looked really cute when she was flustered – she didn't look as tough as Nunnally would've thought if she didn't know her any better.

"Shhh!"

Nunnally laughed quietly, never feeling such thrill before. "Who is he?"

Kei pointed shyly to someone quite a ways away, holding onto a ring that was hanging from the ceiling, reading a book.

"The cute and tall one with the pretty purple eyes and long fingers..."

Nunnally looked at the direction of Kei's finger. Her eyes widened.

"Lelouch-sempai…" Kei said softly.

---

**Yay! I've been thinking about how I wanted them to "meet"…and who would see who first, and what the circumstances would be like, and I guess, it's more "interesting" this way =w=**

**Kinda…**

**Merry Christmas, everybody! ^w^**

**Happy new year!**

**If anybody has time to spare, visit my blog (haha… advertising?) found on my profile page. Whee~ I update that more frequently than fanfiction, and I do write the progress of my fanfictions on there ******

**Just if you're curious =D**

**Thanks for your support!!**

**Have a safe holiday!**

**Steph-heika** Wheeeeee!!**


	6. Unexpected

**I changed my blog**** – you can find it in my profile. It's where you can see the progress of the story.. and it's a place where you can complain to me or whatever. HAHA.**

**Yeahh, sorry for this super long wait. School's been really mean to me…and I was out during summer a lot…**

**BUT AT LEAST I UPDATED :D haha.. thanks for the wait, seriously ******

---

Marianne was wearing a light pink dress and flats on the first day of college. Her hair was tied up into a simple ponytail, and she carried a big and white cloth bag.

_This is it,_ she thought to herself. _All my hard work has paid off…_

She looked challengingly at the Victorian-style building in front of her. She had practiced for years just to get into this school. Her fingers had to deal with painful stretching and smooth playing, but that was all over. She was already used to the training sessions she forced herself to do, so even playing for a longer period would be an easy task.

_Britannia Conservatory of Music, huh?_ She smiled. It was one of the most well-known music schools in the world. Ever since she had heard of it from when she was still in middle school, her only goal was to get into it. Her love for music continued to grow, and she was known for her piano playing from when she was in high school.

---

Nunnally kept silent on the train. She glanced at Lelouch a few times, but she didn't know what to say. She had not prepared to see him like this. She had thought that maybe if she was lucky, she would have met him in school, but even so, she had no idea what she would have said to him. It seemed like forever since they have seen each other, and yet she knew this was definitely him. Not only did Kei call him "Lelouch", but he still looks like the little boy she knew years ago. He was the only one she knew with those beautiful purple eyes.

"You're probably wondering why I like him, huh?" Kei whispered loud enough for only Nunnally to hear.

"Mm…" she replied, not really having thought about Kei having a reason. Now that she had pointed it out, Nunnally was curious. What was it about her brother that fascinated her friend? Was he really that cool?

"He's quiet and seems like the type that would not abandon you, you know?" Kei said blushing. "I mean, like, he won't leave you because you're weak, or stupid, or anything. He just seems like he would accept you, even though it is quite hard to approach him…he's too reserved, but he always has that bored expression…"

Kei sounded very excited. Her sentences no longer made much sense, and each sentence was different from the next. It was hard to keep up with her descriptions, but it was obvious that she was infatuated.

Nunnally thought for a while. From what she remembered, Lelouch was not all like that. She had remembered him to be very open and easy to talk to. He was extremely kind-hearted and caring just like what Kei said, but he always had a smile on his face. He rarely looked bored – he found things interesting, and even if they were not, he would not show it.

She looked over at Lelouch again, wishing that he would look this way and recognize her and be the one the talk to her. He didn't look.

---

"She's really good!"

An old man stood outside listening to Marianne play the piano from the practice room. Even though some of the sound was blocked out, he could not stop listening to it.

"You could really feel the emotions…and the playing is almost flawless…" he muttered. He rubbed his bald head. "This young girl has talent. I wonder who she is assigned to…"

Professor Carole slowly walked away from the door and smiled to himself. He felt that he had found the perfect pupil, and he will be the one to train her at all costs.

---

Marianne looked at the list of assigned teachers that was hung in front of the office. There was a small and calm crowd wanting to see their teachers as well, but they were not like the ones she was used to in high school that pushed and shouted. _This is a prestigious academy after all…_ she thought to herself.

Marianne…Lamperouge Marianne…ah!

Piano lessons - Room 202, 10:30 AM. Professor J. Carole.

She almost dropped the bag she was holding in her hands. It was Professor Carole, the one that she had wished for when she filled in the application form. He was quite well-known in the music world, having retired from actual performances. However, she recalled that he only chose to teach certain students.

_He never even heard me play, or else I would've seen him before…_

It was still early. She decided to go into the room and practice a bit before _the_ Professor Carole came in.

When she reached the room and opened the door, the professor was already sitting by one of the grand pianos, playing a beautiful song. There were two grand pianos in the room, both the best brand that Marianne thought that she could only dream about playing on.

"Liszt," Marianne mumbled. She recognized this song.

Professor Carole looked up to see his beautiful student. He smiled and continued playing, only softer.

"Sonata in B minor, my dear. This is the song I would like to teach you for the next few lessons if you haven't learned it already."

He stopped playing completely and motioned for her to sit down on the other chair. She quickly closed the door and shuffled to her seat.

"You have heard of this song, I am sure," he said as he folded his arms.

She smiled. "I have tried to play it a couple of times," she admitted, "but it was very difficult…"

"I'm sure you can do it. Let's aim for one week."

"Sorry?"

"I plan to teach you this song using only one week. Try and impress me." He smiled.

Marianne was speechless. One week? But then again, back when she was learning piano, her classes were once a week and she had lots of other schoolwork to do. Now, she was fully dedicated to learning piano, and she had class almost every day. It might not be as hard as she had thought.

"Yes sir!" she said a little too enthusiastically. She was really excited. She was able to play piano, and she had nothing pulling her back. It was just going to be her, the piano, and her new professor. It was going to be the best experience ever.

---

"HAHA! You guys just made it! Kind of…" Shou trailed off.

"I hate you guys so, so, so, soooo much!" Kei cried.

Ren snorted. "You're lucky our hot teacher is late, you two…"

"Oh, shut up Karen!"

Ren's face turned red. "Stop calling me that!"

The "hot teacher" slowly entered the classroom. She was holding a huge stack of papers.

"I'm sorry I'm late today," she said apologetically. She placed the stack of papers on her desk. "You guys have a lot of stuff to do today!"

The class groaned. This was like what, the first week of school?

---

"Professor Carole's not here today?" Marianne asked.

The substitute teacher shook his head. He was old – older than Professor Carole, and his hair was all white. "Professor Carole is at the hospital for today. Don't worry, he's just visiting somebody," he added when he saw Marianne's horrified face.

He sat down on a piano bench. "Well, I'm sorry Marianne, but I don't specialize in piano. In fact, I'm just an ordinary music history teacher. If you'd like, I could watch over you, but if you want to practice on your own, then that's fine as well."

"Oh no, thank you professor, but I can do this myself," she replied, smiling softly.

The professor smiled back. "I know you're a capable student, Marianne. That's why you're Carole's student."

---

"Alright kids, MATH TEST!"

"DAMN IT! OUGI, YOU SUCK!"

"HEY YOU! SHUT IT AND TAKE OUT YOUR CALCULATOR!"

"Ughh…"

Ougi cheerfully passed out the test papers, faced down. When he reached Suzaku and Lelouch's desk, he frowned.

"Lelouch, even though you just missed one day yesterday, we had a double math block that we spent reviewing. Do you want to do this test tomorrow?"

"It's fine, sir. I can do it today," Lelouch replied, not looking up to respond.

Ougi was surprised and handed the test paper to Lelouch. He rarely allowed his tests to be taken the next day anyway, but all his past students had always preferred to take it the other day if he ever allowed them to.

---

"Marianne! That's wonderful!"

Professor Carole applauded by the doorway and approached Marianne. Aside from a couple of errors it sounded as if Marianne had been practicing for a long time.

"Professor Carole! You're back!" Marianne couldn't hold back her excitement.

He smiled. "My dear…my body is not like it used to be," he joked as he sat down on the chair next to the piano. "You're doing very good, Marianne."

She blushed. "Oh no, I've just been practicing for a long time while you were away."

"You must really like this song."

"I do!"

Carole laughed. "Was it difficult while I was away?"

Marianne nodded. "I had to listen to the disc many times to get some parts right."

"You're very diligent too."

"Thank you, professor."

He looked at Marianne, his face suddenly serious. "By the way, Marianne, what do you think about me?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Do you think I'll make a good grandfather?"

"Yes! Of course!" she replied, confused.

He looked happy. "You think so? You really think so?"

Marianne nodded. "Um…why do you ask?"

Professor Carole looked at Marianne cheerfully.

"My granddaughter was born yesterday!"

"Oh! Congratulations!"

"Thank you!!"

He was all smiles. "Well enough chit-chat. Let's start from the top, shall we?"

---

"This here is the student survey," Miss C said as she waved around a piece of paper. "We will use this to determine many things that will be happening in this class." She split the stack and handed them out to some students.

"Take one and pass it back," she ordered.

"Class committee?" Shou said out loud. "What the hell is that?"

"Language, Shouta," Miss C said. "A class committee consists for four members – one president, one vice president, one secretary, and one treasurer. The president is in charge of listening to the class' opinions to ensure that their needs are met and to maintain control over the class. This is a difficult task. The vice president is the one who assisting the president to contact outside sources for materials for events that our class will be doing. The secretary schedules all class and committee meetings, plus they take notes down and make sure everything is organized. The treasurer handles all the money and sets budgets. These four people are very important to this class, so choose wisely." She turned around and picked up a chalk. "Having that said, any volunteers or nominations?"

"I nominate Shou for class president!" said a girl with a squeaky high voice.

Kei scoffed. "You're not serious."

The girl glared, and Kei glared back.

"Now, Kei, Mina, we'll see what the class thinks about Shouta. Any more nominations for class president?"

Silence.

"Shouta, do you have any objections to this position?"

Shou smiled. "None so far."

Miss C nodded. "Next, vice-president. Who would like to…?"

"ME!" Mina squealed.

"What? I want to do it!"

"I do too!"

A bunch of girls started jumping up and down.

"My, my, this is a problem," Miss C commented as she looked at the eager teenage girls.

"Actually," Ren spoke up, "it won't be a problem if I become the vice."

The girls stopped arguing. "Ren, the vice president?"

"Hmm, that sounds kind of hot…"

"Better than you being the vice president. You can't even make toast."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Wait!" Mina said loudly. "Why can't I be the vice president? I have lots of sources, I know lots of people! My family is prestigious and hell, I've even talked to that famous Britannia upperclassman once!"

Nunnally looked at the girl. What…?

"So what? There's no fucking way we're ever going to vote for a bitch like you!" Kei snapped.

"Kei! Please, watch your language!" Miss C scolded. She cleared her throat. "Ren, are you really willing to become vice president?"

"Definitely. I would like to help serve my little lambs." He winked at Mina, who just turned red in the face.

"Well, I guess Ren does have qualifications for it…" Mina mumbled.

Miss C smiled. _This is quite amusing…_ she thought.

"How about the secretary?"

Kei shot her hand up in the air. "I vote for Nunnally."

Nunnally's eyes went wide open. "Ehh?? Wait, Kei, I…"

Shou nodded. "I agree. We need someone who can actually be our brains to schedule everything."

"Shou…?" Nunnally looked at him with uncertainty.

He smiled at Nunnally. "I am confident you can do it."

Mina, who had obviously heard what Shou had just said, stood up again, slightly infuriated. "Hold on, I want to run for secretary too."

Miss C nodded as she wrote the names of the two girls on the board. "Anyone else?"

Silence. They didn't want to cause another row.

"Nunnally, why do you want to become the secretary?" Miss C asked.

"Huh? Well, I…I…"

Mina interrupted. "Well, I, Mina, am certain that I can do this task because I am extremely talented in organizing things…"

"That's a talent? Isn't that just a trait or something?" Kei said quietly to Ren. Ren snorted, but Mina didn't hear the two.

"…I'm also devoted to Shou and Ren, so I must serve them well."

Miss C's mouth was still slightly open with surprise. "Ah…huh…how about you, Nunnally?"

Nunnally looked at Shou, who nodded at her. She looked at Miss C. "Actually, I have been the secretary for my junior school's student council, and I have the experience."

Shou grinned. "And Nunnally is my friend, so we're sure to work together better than if I work with other people."

Friend?

Miss C nodded. "Okay, let's vote based on their small speech. One vote only. Who votes for Nunnally?"

Over half the class raised their hand. They were all looking down though, to avoid Mina's shocked eyes.

"Congratulations, Nunnally. Now for treasurer."

"Obviously me!" Kei announced.

"I agree, actually," spoke up a boy in the class. He was wearing thick glasses and had his shirt tucked in. "Kei's the only one to have ever beaten me in a math contest."

"Hehe, thanks Billy! That helped a lot!" Kei said with a big smile. Nunnally looked at her friend. _Kei looked really cool when she smiled like that…_

"So we have Kei running. Anybody want to fight for the spot?"

Everybody was silent. All the students in the class who had been the junior high with Kei knew her mathematical abilities.

"Okay, Kei, congratulations to you too. Please meet me in the staff room at lunch."

Kei grinned as she sat down. She turned to her friends. "YES! We own this class now!" she whispered excitedly.

"Be mature, Kei. This is a big responsibility," Ren said smiling.

"Yep. But it just feels…so good, you know?" Shou sighed.

The three grinned and turned to Nunnally.

"And we also have our littlest lamb!" Ren cooed.

Nunnally backed up a bit. Then, all four of them laughed quietly as Miss C erased the board.

---

The same thing was going on in Lelouch's class. As usual, he wasn't caring much, until he heard his name.

"…Lelouch vi Britannia!"

Then he felt people stare at him. He looked up and noticed his name on the board.

"Wha…what did I do?" Lelouch mumbled to himself shocked.

Suzaku heard him and couldn't help but smile inwardly. _I guess even cold-hearted beasts can be like this…_

"Anybody else?"

_Oh shit, it's the class committee thing…who the hell nominated me?_

He looked around and noticed a guy hold up a peace sign towards his direction.

"Jeremiah?" Lelouch twitched. Why the hell…

Ougi looked at his class. "Seriously, nobody else wants this position? It's your last year, you know!"

"Exactly, Ougi. We all need to study for university entrance exams…" a student complained.

"And Milly's not going to university anyway…" Rivalz said.

Milly grinned. "You'll see me on television one day, just you wait!"

The class applauded just because it felt like the right moment.

Rivalz glanced at Lelouch's direction for a quick second. "But…will you be okay, Milly, with _him_?" Rivalz whispered quietly. Unfortunately, Lelouch was in hearing range. Suzaku looked at Rivalz, trying to tell him to be quieter. If he could hear it, then Lelouch could, right?

Milly sighed. "It can't be helped. Nobody else wants to do vice president, since it's such a tough job...in fact, it might be the toughest. I mean Shirley barely maintained her A average last year…"

"True…but will you really be okay?"

"I don't know, but I'll have to try, right?"

Ougi looked at Lelouch. "Are you alright being the vice president, Lelouch?"

"Ah…"

Milly and Rivalz stopped whispering and looked at Lelouch. All eyes were on him.

"…" What could Lelouch do?

He quietly cleared his throat. "If no one else-"

Before he finished his sentence, the class clapped quickly.

"Then it's decided. Lelouch is the vice president. Now, for secretary…"

"I'll do it," Suzaku raised his hand. All the girls squealed.

"I vote for Suzaku!" some girls said in unison. They looked at each other and squealed again.

Some guys from Suzaku's soccer team cheered. "Go Suzaku!"

Ougi grinned. "Well I think that's decided."

Rivalz turned around. "Why?"

Suzaku shrugged. "I want to see how it's like."

"And treasurer?" Ougi asked.

Silence.

"Hello?"

"…"

Ougi scratched his head. "Um, that's going to be a problem…"

Shirley raised her hand. "I volunteer."

Rivalz and Milly looked at Shirley. "Wait, Shirley, last year you were under major stress though," Milly said worriedly.

"Who else is going to do it?" Shirley asked. Nobody answered.

Ougi smiled. "Thank you Shirley. So we have our team! Milly as president, Lelouch as vice president, Suzaku as secretary, and Shirley as treasurer."

---

It was finally lunch. Students started to rush out into the hallways to line up at the cafeteria.

"Let's go Suzaku. We need to see Ougi," Milly said as she passed by the desk. She looked at Lelouch and turned away.

"Ah, okay," Suzaku said as he stood up. He looked at Lelouch, sighed, and tucked in his chair. "Let's go."

Lelouch stood up and waited for Shirley to pass by before he walked on behind them. He decided to lag a bit behind so he won't hear them talk about him.

He walked slowly down the hall while looking outside the tall windows. The water fountain had two delinquent students in there splashing around. He smiled. He used to do that with Nunnally in their fountain.

---

"Oy Kei, slow down babe!" Shou called down the hall.

"Make me!" Kei said cheerfully as she skipped faster.

Shou sighed as he jogged to catch up. That left Nunnally with Ren. It was a bit awkward for her.

"So, which school were you from?" Ren asked.

"Huh?? Ahh…just a local one near where I used to live…"

"I see. So I've never heard of it, probably…"

"Mm…yeah…probably not."

"Do you miss it? Where you used to live, that is."

"A bit, yeah, but it wasn't that great there, so I'm fine."

"I see."

Nunnally looked up at Ren. He looked quite mature for a first year. She didn't want him to be the only one starting a topic.

"Umm…so were you always in this school?"

"Hmm, yeah. We grew up together, Shou, Kei, and I."

"Ohh…" _So I'm intruding, aren't I?_

"Yep. We know each other as much as we know ourselves."

He stopped. "Nunnally, this might sound gay, but thank you for entering this school."

"Huh? Why is that?" She too stopped.

"Um…well…it's nice to know new people. We've always been together, and everyone in this school is like rich and snobby, so it's hard to really get to know them well…and we know that you aren't a snob…and ahh…I really don't know what I'm saying…"

Nunnally laughed. Ren looked startled. "I-I…uh…"

"OY YOU TWO! HURRY UP!!" Kei called. Shou smacked her. "The atmosphere, idiot. Read the fucking atmosphere!"

Ren smiled. "Yeah, yeah, we're coming." He walked a few steps, and turned to face Nunnally. He didn't say anything and just kept smiling. Finally, he turned around to face Kei and Shou.

**Okay, I'll just write up to here, and then continue in another chapter :P**

**3,442 words ******** but that includes my message and everything…**


	7. Hello

**A/N: sorry for the looooooooong wait!!**

**Thanks for supporting this story! Your reading and reviewing makes me very happy :p**

**Hope this crappy chapter satisfies you until the next update. Love you guys!**

**By the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LELOUCH!! **

**:]**

**---**

"I thought…secretaries were for girls," Milly remarked as they walked down the corridor.

"That's sexist. I know plenty of men who were secretaries," Suzaku retorted.

Milly smiled. "They're probably from those gay love novels, where the male boss starts to violate them by making them do certain tasks, if you know what I mean…" she trailed off, imagining the extremely wrong boys love scene.

Shirley blushed. "Milly! Please don't continue with your rotten habits!!" She turned around to see where Lelouch was. He wasn't far behind from them, and he was continuously looking out the windows as they passed.

_I wonder what he's thinking about,_ Shirley thought. She shook her head. Did it really matter what _he_ thought about? He's just some spoiled rich kid…!

Right?

She stole a short glance and their eyes met for a split second. She turned around and walked faster, her face mysteriously turning pink.

---

Shou stood by the staff room door. He had his hand on the doorknob, but he did not turn it.

"What's the matter with you, Shou?" Kei asked with her hands on her hips. "Open the door."

"Uh, well, you see…"

"What?"

"I thought I heard something _weird_ inside," he suddenly lowered his voice.

Ren laughed. "Like what? A ghost? Oooh!! Shou's scared of something that doesn't even exist! And it's daytime too! HAHAHA!!"

Shou slapped his arm. "Shh! I mean it!"

"So you really think it's a ghost?" Ren asked, surprised and starting to speak quietly with Shou.

Kei rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just open the door."

"Speak quieter! And I refuse to," Shou cried softly.

"Then I will," Kei said, still in her normal volume.

"Be quiet!" he hissed. "And don't open the door!"

"Why not?!"

"I _told_ you! You better not open it yet."

"What on earth are you talking about, dumbass?"

"Just trust me on this one!" his voice was getting louder, and he covered his mouth.

Ren screamed. "GAHH!! Move over, you loser!"

"No! Wait!" Shou yelled as Ren opened the door swiftly, or rather, bravely, to reveal Ougi being massaged by Viletta.

"AUGHH you're good! That smarts!" he groaned as he waved weakly at the four freshmen. "Good afternoon, please take a seat!"

Silence.

Kei spoke up. "Shou, please don't tell me you thought they were having se-"

"Nice to meet you! My name is Shou, and we are from Miss C's class!" Shou said loudly as he bowed in greeting.

Ougi grinned. "I'm Ougi…"

"Mr. Ougi…" Viletta whispered.

"Mr. Ougi. And that's Mrs. Ougi."

Silence.

"Uh…I'm Kei, that's Ren, and that's Nunnally. We'll just be sitting over here, if that's alright…" Kei said to break the awkwardness.

They sat down. More silence.

"Well…you boys are quite tall for freshmen, don't you think?" Ougi commented, smiling. "When I was your age, I was one head shorter than you are." He pointed at Ren.

Ren grinned. "That means I'll grow to be one head taller than you are."

"You little…" Ougi said, giving messing up Ren's perfect hair.

"Hey, hey, hey!!"

Nunnally and Shou laughed. Kei just rolled her eyes.

The door opened. Suzaku popped in.

"Ooh, Shouta, long time no see!" he yelled happily as he went to high-five the boy.

"Whoa, whoa, who's this?" Kei whispered to Shou, who was turning red.

"Ahh…"

Suzaku smiled. "How are you doing?"

"Suzaku-senpai…I…I'm doing good. How are you?" Shou asked, suddenly timid. Ren's jaw dropped at the sudden quietness and respect from his best friend. Kei's eyes would've rolled onto the floor if it was possible.

"I'm good, good! Glad to see you in this school! Are you going to try out for the soccer team this year? If you aren't, I'm going to keep pestering you about it!"

"Ah, I will think about it."

"I'm sure you will make it, so don't worry about competition and age."

"You, you really think so?"

"Yeah! I've trained with you before, and I know you will be fine!"

"You mean, I won't be a benchwarmer?"

"You'll be on the field! You're the best defense I've ever seen!"

"Hi, I'm Ren. You must be Shou's idol, Suzaku. Nice to meet you," Ren cut in.

"Good job," Kei whispered to Ren. "The atmosphere was getting too…boys love…"

"I need to talk to you later about what you've been reading on the internet recently, Kei," Ren whispered back as he went to shake Suzaku's hand. The two boys smiled at each other. Suzaku was half a head taller than Ren, but they looked perfect next to each other. Perfect enough to fulfill fangirl fantasies.

Suddenly, Ren turned pink, which would have fulfilled yet another fangirl fantasy. By the doorway entered the other three members – Shirley, Milly, and then Lelouch.

But he wasn't blushing because of the girls.

Oh no, he was blushing because of Lelouch.

"Oh, ho, ho…" Kei thought as she smiled the evil fangirl smile.

---

"Hey, are you alright?"

Fourteen-year-old Lelouch held out his hand to the boy who had fallen on the ground. The notebooks and papers had been scattered everywhere, but he had helped pick them all up for him.

The boy looked up shyly and grabbed Lelouch's hand. He stood up slowly and patted his pants.

"I, uh, thanks," the boy said, looking at Lelouch's arms as they held his notebooks and papers.

"Mm," was Lelouch's reply as he gently handed the pile to him.

It was after school, and the boy was just bringing the papers to the teacher's cupboard down the hall where all the notebooks went at the end of the week. Being the class representative was tough, having to stay after school to assist the teachers; especially when you're new to the school and have yet to make friends yourself.

The corridors were empty except for the two boys.

"My name is Ren. I, uh, I'm in the first year."

"I'm Lelouch."

Ren grinned. "Is your name French?"

Lelouch looked surprised. "Huh? I don't know…"

Ren turned red. He wanted to have someone to talk to. He was lonely in this new school, but it seemed as if Lelouch wasn't the talkative type.

"What year are you in, Lelouch?"

"Third year."

"That makes you my senpai! I…I'm sorry for being rude senpai…can I call you Lelouch-senpai, then?"

"I…guess so," he said.

"Are you a classroom representative too, Lelouch-senpai?"

"No."

"Then what were you doing so late?"

"Checking out the music room," he replied as he tightened his tie a bit.

Ren blinked. "You got a cut there, senpai," he said, pointing at Lelouch's neck.

"H-huhh? Oh, y-yeah."

Silence. "How did you-"

"I-uh," Lelouch cut in, "I got it during PE, when a classmate accidentally swiped his hockey stick…and…then it started to bleed."

"That must've hurt."

"Yeah, it did. I need to go now. Hope you'll enjoy this school."

"Oh…well thank you senpai. I'll see you around! Show me the music room sometime, okay?"

---

"And that five minute talk just about summed up your roles."

Ougi looked around the room of dead students. They were all quiet, and he heard someone's stomach growl. Ren was looking out the window, Shou was looking at Ougi with soulless eyes, Kei was stealing glances at Lelouch, and Nunnally was avoiding Lelouch. And she didn't know why.

"Uh…the staff has ordered some lunchboxes for you guys," Ougi said.

The room instantly lit up.

"But they're not here yet, so be patient and let's continue with the meeting."

"Aw man, I'm hungry!" Shou groaned.

"Why do we have to do this…" a student next to him mumbled. "I want to take a dump."

"Uh, everyone can hear you," his friend whispered.

"Oh. I was just kidding then."

"Um…yeahh…so let me pass out the events calendar," Ougi said louder than necessary. The students patiently waited until they received the stack of paper. Shou leaned towards Kei and pointed to a date.

"Damn. School picnic on my birthday? You gotta be joking me."

Kei shrugged. "You might get presents from the school or something."

"From a teacher? No thanks. I'd rather get from some hot chick."

"It's not like you're going to get a present from a hot chick even if there wasn't a school picnic."

Ren butted in. "Hey, isn't this school picnic thing like new? I mean, I never heard my brother having one last year."

"You have a brother?" Kei asked surprised.

"What the hell! You've met him before!"

Kei rolled her eyes. "I thought he was just a mature friend of yours. I mean, you guys don't even look alike."

"Yeah." Ren flipped the calendar. "I'm adopted."

Shock.

"What the fuck! I never heard anything about that!" Shou shouted.

Ougi cleared his throat. "Are we done with the conversation over there, freshmen?"

"Uh, actually we're not, but we're sorry for being so loud," Kei said with supposed sincerity.

"Let me just go over some important dates with you…"

Shou leaned closer to Ren and whispered. "You're adopted?"

"That's what I said."

"Is it true?"

"Yeah, it's true."

"The hell…I thought we were best friends."

"We are."

"And you never told me…"

"Hey, I just found out last night."

"What the hell!" Shou shouted again.

"Excuse me, let's see here…" Ougi paused. "Shouta. Please control yourself during the meeting. And take off that nose ring."

Shou flushed. "Sorry. And if I take off that nose ring, the hole will close back up."

Silence.

"Was that some sort of sexual joke?" Ren asked helpfully.

"…No, but was it a good one?"

"Not at all."

"Well, I didn't mean it to be one, so-" he glanced at Ougi, who was still looking at him. "Ah, sorry. I'll…I'll shut up."

"And the nose ring?"

"It'll be off."

"Okay, back to business. So the bolded parts on the calendar are dates that are confirmed, and the italicized parts are tentative dates…" Ougi continued, occasionally glancing over at Shou's direction to make sure he was behaving.

While the meeting was going on, Nunnally looked over at Lelouch's direction.

_Did he notice me?_

_Did he recognize me?_

---

"What's her name?"

"Camille. Isn't it cute? It's because her father's mother was named Camille. A history of names…"

"That's a nice name!"

"Isn't it? Now Camille, open wide! Say Ahh…"

Marianne smiled as her professor fed his granddaughter some bananas. The little girl giggled and spat the bananas out from her mouth.

"Oh, that is disgusting!" the professor said laughing as he reached for his handkerchief.

It was the weekend, and the professor's daughter had come for a visit. She dropped off the little baby while she and her husband went out for lunch. Marianne had just happened to pass by after practicing in the music room when the girl was being fed.

"Marianne, what do I do to make sure she eats?"

"Um…I'm not really sure."

"Back when my daughter was born, she ate like a pig! This little girl is difficult!"

They both laughed.

"Oh! Marianne! I need to ask you something. It's something grand." He turned towards her and smiled.

Marianne looked at him confused. "Something grand?"

"Yes. We will be holding a concert, and I am in charge of it. It is very important. Now listen closely-"

The baby spat out more bananas from her mouth.

"Come on, little one! Behave and eat!" He wiped the girl's mouth and then continued. "I would like you to play the opening song."

"Ahaha!" the baby laughed.

"Wait, me?!" Marianne asked, shocked.

"You can do it."

"Professor, I think you're overestimating me. I'm not-"

"You can do it."

"I have lots to learn. I'm still in my first year of music…"

"Trust me, Marianne. I've been in this profession for so many years, I know a talented musician when I see one. And _you_ are talented."

"It was just one song."

"Many guys will go after such a talented musician."

Marianne blushed. "That's not the point here, professor. I'm barely able to finish my piece right now!"

"That's maybe because we just started the piece."

"Still! Talented musicians are faster. I'm sure you'll find somebody else that's-"

"Marianne. Do you know who Rachmaninov was?"

"Yes, we're going to do his third piano concerto after this piece. Why?"

"Rachmaninov was a genius. A true talent in music. He was an excellent composer, an excellent piano player, and he was just that good. But guess what? He takes _ages_ to complete a piano piece. He plays even slower than a snail, but that did not mean he was not talented at all. Everybody has a weak point, even in their talents," Professor Carole smiled, "and your weakness, is not believing in yourself."

Marianne was silent. "I…I don't know what to say."

"Just say yes to my proposal. Of course, it's not wrong to reject me, but I just wanted to let you know what you have the potential."

"Let me think about it?"

"Better than saying no on the spot!"

"Ahahahahah!" the baby laughed.

"Oh, Camille…will you please…"

---

"Ooh, lunchboxes!" Kei squealed as she took her share.

"Alright, after everybody gets one please take a seat," Ougi ordered as the students murmured in excitement.

"I love being in this student council thingy!" Shou said as he took a box. "Free lunches, popularity, and the girls!"

"Yeah! I love fried noodles!" Ren grinned as he snatched one and sat down.

"Hey, are you _really_ adopted?" Shou asked as he sat next to his friend.

"Must we continue this conversation?"

"I've been your buddy for so long! I deserve to know what's going on in your life!"

"Hmm." They both opened the lids. "Well, whatever I say now would probably be asked about later on anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"I answered that question before, dumbass!"

"What question?"

"Never mind."

"So, are you really_, really_ adopted?"

Kei joined in. "Yeah, I want to know the _truth_."

While this was going on, Nunnally went to get a lunchbox. She eyed her favorite dish – the omelette. It was the best thing in the world! That oozy egg wrapped around the chewy fried rice…

And oh snap, someone took it!

Suzaku licked his lips. He loved omelette rice. He wasn't a super huge fan or anything, but the site of that dish just made his mouth water. Compared to everything else that was offered, this was the best of the best.

"Hey, can I have that?"

Suzaku turned around to see apathetic Lelouch looking lifelessly into his eyes.

"Uh…"

He was at a loss for words. Lelouch asked him for something…? This was unexpected.

"Kururugi."

"Why should I…?"

"It tastes good, that's why."

_Damn, why must he make sense?!_

"Since you're asking so nicely…" Suzaku said, a bit dissatisfied. He handed the box to Lelouch, who took it with both his hands.

"Thanks."

"…W-what?" Suzaku was shocked. Extremely shocked.

"Thanks," Lelouch said casually as he brushed a bit of his bangs to the side.

Suzaku blinked. "Hey, when did you cut yourself?" he asked as he noticed something like a red line on his head. He reached out his hand to sweep all of Lelouch's bangs away when Lelouch stepped back.

"What are you talking about?" Lelouch retorted nervously as he turned away from Suzaku.

Suzaku glared at his back. "What the hell…" he hissed as he chose another not-as-appealing lunchbox.

Lelouch walked up Nunnally, who just stared at him, her mouth slightly open.

"I-I…uh…um…we…I…" Nunnally mumbled as she kept looking back and forth at Lelouch's eyes and at the wall next to her.

"Here." He handed over the omelette box to her.

"Huh?" Nunnally accepted it. "W-why…?"

"You still like it, don't you?"

He gave her a small, gentle smile and walked off to get the remaining semi-tattered lunchbox.

---

Lelouch coughed and groaned as he lifted the wet towel off from his forehead. He rolled over to the side at the sound of the door creaking open.

"Are you okay?" Nunnally asked as she walked slowly to the bedside of Lelouch.

"Mm…it's just a few degrees above normal, I'm fine… mom's making me sleep though, that's all."

"Are you sure? Can you play with me outside then?"

Seven year old Lelouch laughed. "Sure, why not? I feel so energetic, it sucks to be sick! I mean, come on Nunna! Look outside!"

"Are you sure you're allowed?"

"It's okay! I just won't play as much though, okay? I'll watch you play."

"Oh…okay…" Nunnally looked down.

Lelouch looked at his little sister. "Hey, don't look like that. Nunnally…How about this? Let's build mom and dad a _huge _snowman and greet them by the doorway!"

Nunnally's eyes lit up. "Ohh! Good idea! But…will you help?"

"Of course I will! I suggested it, so I should do it too, right?"

"Uh huh…"

"Let me get dressed then. Don't peek, okay? Why don't you get your mittens?"

Nunnally clapped and ran to the door. "Yea, yea, yea! I'll also get a scarf, a carrot, and we need some pebbles…"

---

"That was marvelous! I could tell that even the headmaster was very pleased with you!" Professor Carole laughed jovially as he gave Marianne a hug. "Ah, that was just marvelous. Thank you so much, Marianne. You've made an old man proud."

"No, thank _you_, professor…" Marianne sighed as they broke the hug and smiled. "I couldn't have done it without your guidance."

He laughed. "Marianne, Marianne! Be more proud of your accomplishment! Not many students are as willing to be the opening act of such a big concert! I just thank you for taking part in this performance. Oh, Marianne…"

He looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Marianne, there's someone I would like you to meet," the professor said as Marianne turned around.

A handsome man smiled at her. He had a brilliant smile, and he made many girls' heads turn as they walked by.

He held out his hand. "Hello, Marianne. I'm Vince. Nice to meet you. Professor Carole has always been talking about your music."

"Huh? Oh my…Nice to meet you too, Vince," Marianne answered flustered as she firmly shook his hand.

"You're very beautiful, Marianne."

"I…Thank you," she replied, blushing and looking down.

Vince smiled and let go of her hand. "You also have slender fingers. The elegant fingers of a piano player."

"Vince, I'm not good with compliments," Marianne said.

Vince laughed. "Sorry for what I have to say then, but being the son of the chairman really allows you to meet many pretty girls, and you are by far the most beautiful one I've seen. How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Nineteen…"

"That's young for such a wonderful performer. Oh, sorry, I believe that was flattering!" Vince said as he saw Marianne turn pink again. He smiled. "I'm just four years older. If you'll consider men older by that many years, I'm willing…"

"Vince, are you flirting with my student?" Professor Carole spoke up, smiling.

"Of course, professor, what else does this look like?"

Carole chuckled. "My dear children, when you grow older, you'll realize how funny your pickup lines were back when you were younger."

"Hey Vince! Dad told me to find you for something."

Unlike Vince, who was dressed in a white suit with his brown hair combed to the side and gelled, another man walked into the scene. He was equally as handsome, a bit more muscular, and with an air of arrogance. His hair was set not modestly like Vince's was, but a bit more fashionable and trendy.

"My brother," Vince answered Marianne's silent question. He turned to his brother. "Yes, and here is the reason. Meet the pianist of the first song, Marianne Lamperouge."

The man stopped and looked at her. "And…?"

Professor Carole smiled. "Your father wants you to know who she is because he thinks music can influence your life!"

"It's gonna take a miracle for a little girl to convert me to such music."

Vince laughed. "Little? You're not _that_ much older, dearest brother. Sorry for the late introduction, Marianne. This is my younger twin brother, Charles di Britannia. Shake hands, Charles."

"Hi, I'm Charles," Charles said casually as he held out his hand.

"Marianne…" Marianne answered a bit uncomfortably.

The two shook hands awkwardly.

---

"Lelouch, it's cold!"

"Of course it is, silly. It's snow! What did you expect it to feel like?"

"Hmm…I don't know."

The two siblings stood in the front yard as the snow gently fell on their little heads. Lelouch packed a snowball in his hand and put it on the floor. He started rolling.

"Wow, this snowball is getting big!" he exclaimed as he made his way around the yard.

"Lelouch, I found some nice pebbles for the snowman's buttons!"

"Great!" he exclaimed. He coughed.

"Are you okay, Lelouch?"

"Yeah, just a bit cold. Brr… this scarf doesn't help very much, does it?"

"Maybe you should trade scarves with the snowman later."

"Oh, but I know my scarf is warmer than his. What time did mom and dad say they were coming home again?"

"Around 5. Hey look, Lelouch! This rock is shaped like a heart!"

He stifled some more coughs. "That would look nice on the snowman too!"

Nunnally turned around and smiled. "Yea! The first button!"

Lelouch smiled at Nunnally's beam. He rubbed his hands together to warm them up.

"It's 4 now Nunnally. We should hurry!"

Lelouch patted the big snowball he created. He looked at Nunnally, who just stared at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Nunnally suddenly ran and hugged Lelouch.

"Wha-" Lelouch exclaimed, stunned.

"I forgot. Happy birthday, Lelouch."

Lelouch gasped. "I've been sick for three days?!"

The two laughed, and Lelouch coughed. Nunnally released him from her embrace and looked worriedly at Lelouch.

"You know what, Lelouch? Mommy and daddy aren't the most important today. You are! Let's go back in and play Monopoly or Twister!"

Lelouch smiled. "Yeah, you're right. Let's take a break, and I'm really thirsting for that hot chocolate!"

"Teach me chess!"

"Yeah, sure thing! We'll build that snowman tomorrow or maybe for their Christmas gift!"

"Ooh! Promise?"

"Yeah!"

"Yay! Do you want marshmallows in your hot chocolate?"

"Lots of them!"

**---**

**HEY this is steph!**

**Thanks a LOT for reading this far! Haha~**

**I really love the reviews and messages that you send me. There is no way that you guys can be annoying… more like ENCOURAGING!**

**By the way, to answer some potential reviews, what I write is never BS. I never introduce BS characters unless it's just for crack purposes :P SO I would appreciate it if you don't criticize on something like that. **

**And before you criticize, please make sure you've read the story! I've had criticisms that asked questions that were **_**right in the text**_** and criticisms that asked for more explanation. Just a heads up: I also do not explain everything in the same chapter. That's the best part about stories. You don't know why things happen until you read on :]**

**So what I'm trying to say is…don't waste criticisms on things that are obvious! Criticize on something more deep!! **

**Thanks a lot! Praises and comments are LOVED!!!**

**Just a random side note: check my profile page for links to blog, twitter, etc! I update the status of the story sometimes, and you get to see why I never update. I also plan to put in spoilers, and to give a heads up about what might happen. **

**And another thing is: THE POLL. It asks: Should Lelouch have a lover?**

**Please vote!**

**By the way, the poll does not decide his fate. It just lets me see what people want…but it MIGHT NOT HAPPEN. **

**HAHA just wanted to tell you guys. **

**LOVE YOU! THANKS FOR READING!! **

**PLEASE BE PATIENT AND WAIT FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!!**

**I **_**PROMISE**_**, IT GETS MORE INTERESTING!! HAHA.**


	8. 20 Years Ago

**IMPORTANT A/N: I love classical music :]**

**Thanks for sticking around, guys! Life has been busy, and I hope to see old faces and new faces too! I love you guys! Please R/R!**

**This chapter is **_**all about the past**_**. Sorry, nothing about Lelouch here :D**

**---**

Charles walked down the hallway, passing by practice rooms as he made his way to his father's office. He sneered at the closed doors as some pianists played the wrong notes. He rolled his eyes when he heard a violinist snap a string. He laughed inwardly when he heard a quartet mess up at the climax of a familiar classical song.

Man, were those musicians useless.

Good thing he was the younger twin, otherwise he would have to take over this amateur music academy. How his father accepted students, he would never know. He couldn't even hear the potential in any of them. How was this school even the top music school? It made no sense. And he didn't care to make any sense out of it. Classical music – that's for the losers that couldn't do anything else.

It's not like he hated music. He loved music. Just not the stupid deaf Beethoven or that gay Russian dude Tchaikovsky. I mean, Sugar Plum Fairy? What the hell?

He arrived at his destination and sighed. He could hear the recording of some slow song playing inside the room. How the hell did his father tolerate such a terrible genre of songs? He knocked at the door loudly, in case his father didn't hear and was too absorbed in his little world of Chopin.

No answer, as expected. He opened the door roughly and slammed it behind him. His father's back was facing him, pretending to conduct while tapping his feet and nodding his head.

"Dad!" he yelled over the loud music.

His father turned around with a silly grin on his face. "Oh, there you are!" He went over to the stereo and turned it down.

Charles walked over and turned it off.

Disgusting.

"What did you want? I'm busy, you know," Charles said, annoyed but trying not to show it.

His father, still smiling with that goofy grin, responded. "Keep this a secret. I want you to enroll in this school. I am the principal, and I have the power to let you enter. I feel that the piano is suitable for you-"

"No. Fucking. Way."

His father frowned and walked to his desk. Charles followed. "Don't interrupt me like that, Charles. Have you ever heard Vincent talk to me like that?"

Again with the Vincent. Vincent is better. Vincent is well-mannered. Vincent is handsome. Vincent is an honor student. Vincent is smarter. Vincent, Vincent, Vincent.

You should look up to him.

He's only older by like, what, ten minutes?

Fuck you, Vince, fuck you.

"Well, I don't care about what he does, if you haven't noticed for the past nineteen years."

His father shook his head. "I'm disappointed in you, Charles. You're almost twenty years old, a dropout from high school, and jobless. Do you think that I can provide for you for the rest of your life?"

"Hah. That's why we're filthy rich, right? What are you going to do with all that money if you aren't going to use it to raise me? Besides, anyone who enjoys classical music is retarded!"

He didn't mean to say that last line.

"CHARLES DI BRITANNIA! I am using all my power to get you an education that you do not deserve! Can't you understand how I feel? You can't do anything right, so at least…now, don't look at me like that, Charles! Classical music-"

"No! You just want me to learn about Moza-whats-his-face because you can't handle the fact that one of your sons is a dropout! I was right all along – all the losers take classical music, because they can't do anything else, right? But guess what? I don't fucking care about that…that stuff you and Vince listen to! Don't you understand?! I'm different from you two!"

Silence.

Charles took a deep breath to calm himself down. He swallowed hard at the silence.

"Look dad, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say those things…I just couldn't control myself. When it comes to my future, I feel insecure."

More silence. Charles looked down at his shoes. His expensive runners. He didn't deserve those shoes, did he? He closed his eyes.

"Dad, I'm sorry. I can't do classical music. I can't find myself to appreciate it."

His father stayed quiet. Charles looked up slowly. Was he really mad?

"Dad, please, don't worry," he said with genuine reassurance. "I may be slower than Vince, but my passion-"

It happened really quickly, and as usual, it happened unexpectedly. Within a couple of seconds, Charles found himself sitting on the floor, his hand covering the side of his bleeding cheek, and his father holding a picture frame in his hand. It was a picture of Vince, with his father next to him smiling proudly. The corners of the frame were stained in dark red.

The pain came later. Charles bit his lip.

"I-I…" he stuttered, shocked and not knowing if he should say anything.

Although this wasn't the first time, he still didn't know what to do.

Blood was rolling down to his chin. He could even feel it running down through the gaps between his fingers. Was it a deep cut?

"Stand up," his father ordered.

Charles stood up slowly without hesitation, his hand still on the wound.

"Leave my office. I will talk to you at home."

Charles looked at his dad, who was staring at the picture. He took a piece of tissue and wiped the red off the frame, and placed it back on his desk. It seemed like the blood had not bothered his conscience at all as he looked at Charles and glared.

"I just wanted to best for you, and you always ruin it."

Charles turned around swiftly and ran out of the door.

Vince was down the empty hallway, walking slowly and enjoying the music that was being played by the musicians in their practice rooms. He glanced at the running figure and stopped him by grabbing his arm.

"Charles, your face…"

Charles released himself from his grip. "I…I got into a fight," he lied.

"Another one? Did you get scolded by dad again?" he laughed.

"…Yeah."

Vince shouldn't know.

Vince is smart.

Did he know already?

No, he probably didn't.

No one knew.

Vince was the family's pride.

He can't let this younger brother burden him.

---

Marianne walked to the practice rooms, her mp3 player playing her examination song. She smiled when it reached her favorite part. She hummed to it.

_I wonder if I could make up lyrics to this song just for fun…_

Her thoughts were entertained as words automatically entered her brain, forming beautiful sentences. Why didn't she get that inspiration during English class in high school?

That was probably because, music was her life.

Even her parents had thought so. Her constant piano playing had already proved that she loved music.

The school was quite empty. It was spring break already, and many people had left the campus to head for home for the two weeks off.

It was peaceful. Only a few students were around the campus, eating sandwiches together and playing badminton. Marianne's best friend had left for home for her grandmother's birthday.

The song on her mp3 ended. She took out the earbuds and rolled the wire around the player and tucked it in her bag. She would listen to it later.

As she reached the building, a man was running towards her, his hand on his cheek.

There was blood running down the side of his face.

Marianne stood there, looking at the figure as he brushed past her, unaware of her presence.

She didn't know why, but her hand automatically reached for his sleeve.

The man stopped and looked back, his eyes showing an emotion of surprise. And was it fear?

"Your face…" Marianne said, her voice unexpectedly quieter than she had intended it to be.

The man didn't move and looked at the girl in front of him. His eyes widened.

It was that girl from the concert.

The one who amazed his father and his brother.

That girl.

He hated her.

He hated her and her piano playing.

He hated her and her classical pieces.

He really hated her.

Because she amazed him too.

Seeing that he wasn't moving anywhere, Marianne dug through her bag and quickly found a clean handkerchief. A pink, rose patterned one.

It was very girly.

It suited her image.

Marianne took Charles hand and slowly brought it down as she gently patted the wound with her handkerchief.

He let her.

Why?

They stood there for what felt like eternity for the both of them.

Some flower petals from a nearby tree were swept away by the gentle spring breeze. Some got onto her hair, but she didn't brush it off, concentrating on wiping the blood away.

She stopped. It was still bleeding, but his wound had already started to heal a bit.

"What happened, Mr. Britannia?"

She remembered him?

"Nothing much," he responded. "A fight."

She placed the handkerchief in his hand and brought it to his face.

"Hold onto it okay? Let's go get you some bandaids."

He didn't know why, but he smiled a bit. He felt confused. This was the first time he felt that someone had been genuinely kind to him.

She was very pretty.

Very gentle.

Hey.

Is she single?

Wait.

Wait a minute.

Just wait a minute.

_What the hell am I thinking?_

---

Vince was his favorite son, right? He wouldn't harm him, now would he? He was the heir to the academy.

Vince nodded. He needed to confront his father. Fast.

"Did you hit Charles, dad?" Vince asked as he closed the door softly behind him. He had entered his father's office.

"Why would you say that?" he asked as he looked up from his desk, his hand still holding the pen he was using to write with.

"I know about it dad," Vince said as he walked towards him. "He can't get into _that _many fights. His gang only goes out at night. And he rarely goes out like that anymore. He's getting wounds even at daytime, and he never left the house."

Silence.

"I'm not stupid, dad."

Was he pushing it?

No, it's alright. He's the favorite.

His father coughed and put his pen down. He looked at his son.

Vince took a deep breath. "Dad, I think…"

His father's eyes never left his as his hand reached out for the closest object possible. A stapler. He didn't need to staple anything – he was writing in his notebook.

"What is it…?" he asked.

Vince stayed silent. Even though I'm the favorite, dad?

Hesitantly, he smiled. "I think…you're doing the right thing."

His father sighed, smiled, let go of the stapler and returned to work. "I think so too, Vincent. That boy never learns."

Vince closed his eyes and swallowed hard.

"Y-yeah."

---

He slowly opened his eyes and groaned. Where was he?

Oh, in his bedroom. The curtains were drawn, making the room dark, but he could make out rays of sunlight shining through the gaps of the fabric.

He stood up and closed his eyes. Wow, he had a nice headache.

And a nice hangover.

He quickly ran towards his bathroom and kneeled in front of the toilet bowl. After that encounter with that girl, he had drunk a lot. But drinking didn't help him at all. He was still confused. Just what about that girl amazed him to the point of…of…falling in…love?

There was a knock on the door. He flushed the toilet, rinsed his mouth, and headed towards the door. He opened it to reveal his brother.

"Charles, dad… wow, you smell."

"Thanks, Vince. Now what did you want?"

Vince shook his head. "Dad's angry. He was waiting for your reply last night about something with college, and you ignored him and went up to your bedroom, drunk."

Fuck. He had forgotten.

"I…where is he now?" Charles asked, a bit nervous.

"His office. You…you should go see him. I'm going there now. Let's go together."

"No, I don't want to."

"Charles-"

"Tell him…tell him 'yes'."

"For what?"

"He'll know. I don't want to see him right now. Just tell him…'yes', and tell him that I'll start as soon as possible."

Vince nodded and left. Whatever his dad had told Charles to do, it seemed like he was being forced into it.

He shuddered at the encounter with his father just the night before.

Just what was that man capable of doing?

---

It was Tuesday morning, and Charles walked into a room, greeted by his teacher.

Not forgetting his manners, Charles stuck out his hand. "Hi, I'm…"

His teacher smiled. "Charles, right? I know, you're the headmaster's son. I heard that you didn't like classical music…from your brother. What changed your mind?"

Vince told him?

And what changed my mind? That son of a bitch father of mine.

No, that's not right, was it? He could've just said no, dealt with a couple of blows, and then life would go on.

It was…

"I thought I didn't. Just…I thought…I heard someone play the piano and I enjoyed the performance. It was the first time I did, and I…"

Why was he rambling like a fool?

_Because you're in love with that 'someone'._

I hate you, my stupid inside voice.

His teacher smiled. "So, you used to play piano when you were very young?"

How did he know?

"Vince told me. He told me your mother taught you before she…passed away.. He told me you didn't enjoy classical music very much. He told me things he thought would help you. He's a nice brother, you know?"

I know. I just don't want to admit it.

His teacher sat down on the chair next to the piano bench. "My name is Professor Carole. And I sincerely hope to make you enjoy classical music by having you play some on your own."

"I…I don't remember how to play…"

Professor Carole smiled. "I didn't expect you to remember. Let's start from the basics, alright?"

---

"How did you convince him, Vincent?"

Mr. Britannia was holding a cup of tea in his hands, sitting on the couch across from his son. They were in the office, and Vince had just told his father that Charles had started his lessons today.

"He decided on his own."

"Don't give me lies. He yelled at me, telling me he would never do it. What did you say to him?"

"I didn't say anything. He felt a sudden passion to try it out, I guess."

His father laughed. The atmosphere was good.

Vince cleared his throat. "Dad, can you maybe…not hit Charles anymore?"

The laughter stopped. Vince closed his eyes. The atmosphere changed.

"If he obeys me," his father answered.

"Well, he _is_ obeying now."

"He is? Didn't he want to do this on his own?" he smiled.

Vince sighed. "What is Charles to you, dad? Why won't you let him do what _he_ wants? This was what you wanted, and he agreed to it. How is that any different?"

"It's because he wanted to do it."

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"Don't talk to me like that Vincent. I'm disappointed in you. You've never acted like this before. You must have learned this rudeness from Charles."

Vince stood up. "No, dad. I didn't learn anything from Charles. If anything, Charles is learning from me. He is starting to enjoy classical music, from what I can make out. If that's not what you want, then what do you want from him?"

His father sighed and looked angrily at Vince. "Do you know how your mother died?"

Vince blinked. "She was...in an accident. Why?"

"She died because of Charles. Charles, your lovely twin brother, killed your mother."

---

Marianne had a problem. A big problem.

She had forgotten her wallet. And she was hungry. Standing in the front of the long cafeteria line looking for her wallet through her bag was not the best thing to do. Thousands of hungry musicians were behind her, impatiently waiting for her to complete her order.

"Miss, the total is $6.50," the lady behind the counter said as she looked up from the register.

Marianne sighed. Of all the days to forget her wallet…that's one thing about getting a new bag that she hated.

A man walked up to her side and handed the lady a $10 bill.

"H-huh?" Marianne looked up to see a familiar face. He looked quite intimidating, his hair gelled as usual with a ripped jacket and dark pants. But she knew, he wasn't like that. How did she know?

"That's for lending me your handkerchief the other day," he responded as he received his change. He handed her the cloth and walked away as Marianne ran after him, carrying the lunch bag with her.

"W-wait!" she called as she grabbed onto his arm.

Why did she even do that?

They were outside of the cafeteria now, where it was less busy. The cafeteria doors shut behind them, the clamors of students dying down from inside.

What was she doing?

"Here, keep it…" she muttered, blushing as she slipped her handkerchief into his hands.

He had nice hands.

She blushed even more.

Charles turned around to face her.

"If I keep it, you have to do something for me," he said, looking at her beautiful face. Was she red?

"What is it…?"

He blushed even more than she was as he reached down to hold onto her hands. By then, both of them were flushing red.

"Help me…love music again."

---

**SORRY! It's a short chapter, but hopefully it was an okay chapter ^^;;**

**Next chapter will be updated ASAP!! Sorry for the long wait!**


End file.
